Learning to Use Building Blocks - Continued

These newsgroups are hosted on computers around the world but Internet providers regularly replicate many of them. This allows users to read and post to dozens of newsgroups by simply logging into one provider and then working with the newsgroups that provider replicates. Otherwise, you would have to find each specific computer that housed each newsgroup. For example, CompuServe replicates over 30,000 newsgroups and those logged on to CompuServe can read and post to all those newsgroups by simply logging on to CompuServe.

Although many newsgroups allow Web browser to read and post to the newsgroup, most people read newsgroups and post to newsgroups using newsgroup reader software. Outlook Express (but not the bigger sibling Outlook) will read from and post to newsgroups, and it is free.
The technology newsgroups are an incredible source of technical support. Often you can post a support question and in a matter of minutes someone (or several people) will post an answer. These people who answer your questions for free are simply others who share a common interest.

To set up your newsgroup reader, all you need is the name of the news server. If you are using Microsoft Newsgroups, you are probably better off reading them directly off of Microsoft’s servers than reading them through your ISP’s news server. You will probably find a more complete listing on Microsoft’s servers and posting and updating will be closer to real time.

The address of Microsoft’s newsgroup server is: msnews.microsoft.com